The news: Harry Potter's greatest feat might not have been defeating Voldemort, but teaching young people around the world to battle prejudice. At least that's the finding of a new paper in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, which claims reading the Harry Potter series significantly improved young peoples' perception of stigmatized groups like immigrants, homosexuals or refugees.

The studies: The Pacific Standard broke down the three studies used in this paper.

The first took 34 Italian fifth-graders and plunged them into a six-week course on Potter. The researchers began by having the students fill out a questionnaire on immigrants, and then split them into two groups which read selected passages from the series. The students in the first group discussed prejudice and bigotry as themes in the books, while the others didn't, serving as a control group. The students in the first group showed "improved attitudes towards immigrants," but only if they identified with Potter.

A second study with 117 Italian high school students found that a reader's emotional identification with Harry was associated with more positive perceptions of LGBT people in general. A third, which surveyed U.K. college students, ultimately found no association between an emotional bond with Harry and perceptions of refugees. But it did indicate that students who had less of an emotional identification with Voldemort had "improved attitudes toward refugees."

In all three studies, the researchers credited the books with improving the readers' ability to assume the perspective of marginalized groups. They also claimed that young children, with the help of a teacher, were able to understand that Harry's frequent support of "mudbloods" was an allegory towards bigotry in real-life society.

Image Credit: AP

Why you should care: It's impossible to rule out that there were inevitably other factors at work beyond the scope of the study, but if you're a Harry Potter fan, this is wonderful news. It provides some experimental backing for J.K. Rowling's opinion that, "The Potter books in general are a prolonged argument for tolerance, a prolonged plea for an end to bigotry."

More importantly, it shows that conveying messages of tolerance through literature actually works. Potter's journey of self-discovery, then, might some day be immortalized in projects that aim to teach tolerance to young children.

Warner Bros. Conjures Up Harry Potter Global Franchise Development Team

Move comes as studio expands partnership with J.K. Rowling

LONDON — Warner Bros. Entertainment has conjured up the Harry Potter Global Franchise Development team, based in both London and Burbank, to “develop and execute a high-level strategic vision for the Harry Potter brand and its ancillary businesses,” Warner Bros. said Wednesday.

The move follows last year’s announcement that the studio had formed an expanded creative partnership with J.K. Rowling. It is a response to the continuing expansion of the Harry Potter franchise.

This includes, among other projects: a new film series in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”; the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London — The Making of Harry Potter; the recent opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan; the expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida; a suite of Harry Potter digital services, and products including J.K. Rowling’s own initiative, “Pottermore”; and a future Harry Potter stage play, which will open in London’s West End next year.

The team, which will work closely with Rowling’s people at The Blair Partnership, will be led by Josh Berger, president and managing director, Warner Bros. U.K., Ireland and Spain, who now adds president of HPGFD to his role. He will be supported by Polly Cochrane, based in London, and Paul Condolora, based in Burbank, who joins the company this week.

Berger commented, “With Harry Potter’s consumer touch-points continuing to grow and flourish, I am confident that this talented, cross-company global team will enable us to take full advantage of the many opportunities ahead — helping to bring Harry Potter in all its future incarnations to fans all over the world.”

Cochrane, who is senior VP and group marketing director, Warner Bros. U.K. and Ireland, will add the new responsibility of senior VP and chief marketing officer, HPGFD to her existing remit. She will focus on “the optimization of the Harry Potter franchise globally through a cross-divisional marketing lens, upholding the brand’s premium values.”

In her six years with Warner Bros., Cochrane has overseen the development of an integrated marketing function within Warner Bros. U.K., spanning films, TV shows, video games and licensed products, delivering lifecycle marketing campaigns for the company’s properties.

Condolora takes up the newly created role of senior VP, HPGFD and Harry Potter Digital in Burbank, and will lead the business development around Harry Potter, with a focus on digital opportunities “to serve and engage fans around the world.”

He joins from Turner Broadcasting System, where he was most recently senior VP, strategic development and business operations in its animation, young adults and kids media division, responsible for the business growth of three networks: Adult Swim, Boomerang and Cartoon Network.

Also moving over to the team will be London-based Suzie Boavida, who takes up the role of business development director, HPGFD. Boavida will work with Condolora on business development, particularly in the areas of new markets and revenue streams, in close collaboration with the rest of the HPGFD team — Burbank-based Xochitl Ruiz, Moira Squier, Angela Kato-Alvarez, Christine Kittelsen, Cynthia Gonzalez and Rebecca Muh, and Fiona Hickley in London.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Love this:
"Never doubt what you're made of"
"There's a hero in everyone"
"There's a hero in everyone"

Enjoy.

John Martin - Anywhere For You

Hope you will love this awsome lyric.

John Martin - Anywhere For You

We can rewrite the story
Tonight we're forever young
Yeah, tonight we're forever young

Through the pain and the heartaches
There's still love for everyone
There's still love for everyone

Hey, would you believe me if I said
We are here for a reason
Now this is our life
This is what counts
This is for us
I would go anywhere for you
I would go anywhere for you, yeah
I would go anywhere for you, yeah

Heaven knows you're a dreamer
Don't hide it from anyone
Don't hide it from anyone

Never doubt what you're made of
There's a hero in everyone
There's a hero in everyone

Hey, would you believe me if I said
We are here for a reason
Now this is our life
This is what counts
This is for us
I would go anywhere for you
I would go anywhere for you, yeah
I would go anywhere for you, yeah
I would go anywhere for you, yeah

Hold on tonight, for us,
I would go anywhere for you, yeah
I would go anywhere for you, yeah

Friday, July 18, 2014

Love this song and video.
Everytime i hear this I just want to play the awesome Gran Turismo game on the Playstation.
I remember to hear this song in many races on the game and it got stuck in my head.

Faul & Wad Ad vs. Pnau - Changes (official video)

Hope you will love this awsome lyric.

Faul & Wad Ad vs. Pnau - Changes

Baby, I don't know
Just why I love you so
Maybe it's just the way
That God made me this day

Baby, I don't know
Just why I love you so
Maybe it's just the way
That God made me this day

Honey, I hear you
And I feel for you
It won't be too long 'til
We're back as one again

Baby, I don't know
Just why I love you so
Maybe it's just the way
That God made me this day

Baby, I don't know
Just why I love you so
Maybe it's just the way
That God made me this day

Honey, I hear you
And I feel for you
It won't be too long 'til
We're back as one again

Nah, you don't know me
Lightning above and a fire below me
You cannot catch me, cannot hold me
You cannot stop, much less control me
When it rains, it pours
When the floodgates open, brace your shores
That pressure don't care when it breaks your doors
Say it's all you can take, better take some more

(Oh)
'Cause I know what it's like to test fate
Had my shoulders pressed with that weight
Stood up strong in spite of that hate

(Oh)
Night gets darkest right before dawn
What don't kill you makes you more strong
And I been waiting for it so long

The nights go on
Waiting for a light that never comes
I chase the sun
Waiting for a light that never comes
(Oh) (Oh) (Oh)
Waiting for a light that never comes

When I was young, they told me, they said
Make your bed, you lie in that bed
A king can only reign 'til instead
There comes that day it's "off with his head"

(Oh)
Night gets darkest right before dawn
What don't kill you makes you more strong
You'll have my mercy then when you're gone

The nights go on
Waiting for a light that never comes
I chase the sun
Waiting for a light that never comes
(Oh) (Oh) (Oh)
Waiting for a light that never comes

And I told them:
Nah, you don't know me
Lightning above and a fire below me
You cannot catch me, cannot hold me
You cannot stop, much less control me
When it rains, it pours
When the floodgates open, brace your shores
That pressure don't care, it breaks your doors
Say it's all you can take, better take some more

(Oh) (Oh) (Oh)
Waiting for a light that never comes

The nights go on
Waiting for a light that never comes
I chase the sun
Waiting for a light that never comes
(Oh) (Oh) (Oh)
Waiting for a light that never comes